UNCCD COP17: Mobilising Funding and Partnerships to Tackle Global Desertification

The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) began in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on August 17 and will run until August 28, 2026. Delegates from nearly 200 parties are meeting under the theme “Restoring Land, Restoring Hope” to negotiate financing, drought-resilience measures and implementation frameworks for land restoration.

COP17 in Mongolia: Why a lesser-known UN summit matters for land, water and food

The UNCCD, adopted in 1994, is one of three Rio Conventions. Mongolia, where roughly 77 % of the territory is degraded, hosts the summit for the first time in East or Central Asia. The country has pledged to spend at least 1 % of its GDP annually on climate-change and desertification mitigation and has launched a “Billion Trees” campaign.

COP17 in Mongolia: Why a lesser-known UN summit matters for land, water and food

• UNCCD estimates that 1.3 billion people are directly exposed to land degradation and 1.84 billion endure persistent drought.

As record El Nino peaks, world leaders meet in Mongolia to confront a drying planet

• Up to 40 % of the world’s land is degraded, equivalent to the loss of four football fields of healthy land every second, or 100 million hectares each year.

As record El Nino peaks, world leaders meet in Mongolia to confront a drying planet

• The Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, forged in 2024, secured $12 billion in public-sector pledges over seven years for 74 countries.

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• UNCCD projects a need for $2.6 trillion in cumulative investment by 2030 to restore more than 1 billion hectares and build drought resilience.

As record El Nino peaks, world leaders meet in Mongolia to confront a drying planet

• Current annual financing stands at $77 billion, leaving a gap of $278 billion.

As record El Nino peaks, world leaders meet in Mongolia to confront a drying planet

She highlighted the need to turn over 70 submitted drought-management plans into concrete projects, including efficient irrigation upgrades, drought-resistant crops and rain-water storage for farmers.

EU calls for global action to make land and water more resilient as drought and desertification intensify

Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, warned that drought and water scarcity are already threatening lives, health and economies across the EU, calling for a shift from reactive emergency management to proactive resilience building.

EU calls for global action to make land and water more resilient as drought and desertification intensify

Lily Maxwell-Lwin, head of advocacy at the Dutch nonprofit Commonland, urged rich nations to finance land restoration on par with emissions-focused climate aid, arguing that degraded land abroad poses direct threats to food security, migration pressure and supply-chain resilience.

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• “More than 70 countries submitted their drought management plans, and we need to convert those plans into projects that would be implemented,” — Yasmine Fouad, UNCCD executive

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• “Restoring Land, Restoring Hope is not only an environmental agenda, but a development and resilience priority. As drought intensifies and land degradation accelerates, the conference must drive practical, investable solutions — from restoring degraded land and soils to strengthening the land–water nexus — so that communities can thrive,” — UNCCD Executive Secretary Yasmine

As record El Nino peaks, world leaders meet in Mongolia to confront a drying planet

A ministerial dialogue on rangeland restoration and pastoralist well-being is scheduled for later this month. Delegates will also review progress on the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership and explore private-sector financing mechanisms, aiming to convert pledged funds into on-the-ground projects before the summit closes on August 28.

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